Bottle capper



March 26, 1946. R. SONNENBERG 2, 97, 7

BOTTLE CAPPER Filed July 25, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 March 26, 1946. R. SQNNENBER BOTTLE CAI-PER Filed July 25, 1940 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 26, 1946. SONNENBERG I 2,397,297

BOTTLE CAPPER Filed July 25, 1940 '7 SheetsSheet 6 Patented Mar. 26, 1946 BOTTLE CAPPER Rudolph Sonnenberg, Belvldere, 111., assignor to Mid-West Bottle Cap (30.,

poration of Illinois Belvidere, 111., a cor- Application July 25, 1940, Serial No. 347,421 6 Claims. (01. 226-90) This invention relates to capping machines for bottles, and more particularly to a machine for applying hood caps to milk bottles. Y

The present invention is directed primarily to a capping machine for applying composite paper and metal hood caps to milk bottles, and to the combination thereof with a filling machine,

' though it will be understood that many phases of the invention are not limited to the application of metal hoods. Much difliculty has been experienced in the past in an effort to provide metal hood caps for milk bottles which would meet the necessary trade requirements. The most'important obstacle to a satisfactory solution of the problem has been that of cost, both in the cost of the metal making up the cap, and the cost of equipment for making and applying the cap. I have found that both of these difliculties can be largely eliminated by partially pre-forming the cap of metal of very thin cross-section insuch manner that the pre-formed hoods will withstand the usage necessitated by handling and shipment thereof, and by making a capping machine of such structure as to be capable of handling and applying the relatively delicate partially formed hood members. In this way I have been able to very materially reduce the amount of metal required in the hood. I am also enabled to eliminate the necessity for forming the hood member as a part of the capping operation as has been necessary in the past. This very greatly simplifies the operation of applying caps and greatly reduces the cost of the capping mechanism so that the use of metal hood caps is brought within the reach of small dairies which are financially unable to procure and operate the complicated forming and capping machines of the prior art. a

An important object of the invention is the provision of a capping machine capable of handling very thin'section hoods and capable of applying these to the milk bottle without rupturing the metal during the handling and applying oper ations, and capable of seating the cap to produce a finished cap of workmanlike appearance, and sufilcient rigidity to withstand the abuse occasioned by the handling of the capped bottles during delivery.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a capping device of generally improved structure which is more efiicient in operation, more positive in its action, which is capable of applying caps of different design, and which is more compact and easy to operate.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a capping device having improved means 55' for feeding the hood member of the cap and for locating the sameon a bottle.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel and compact structure for apply-- ing a pre-formed metal' hood to a bottle, for locating the bottle in a capping position, and for seating the cap thereto.

A further object of the invention is to provide a capping machine having improved means for accommodating the same to bottles of different sizes.

I have also aimed to provide a novel form of filling'and capping machine having a novel arrangement of bottle filling, bottle transporting,

hood-applying and cap-seating mechanism.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved capper construction which may be applied to a standard form of' filler and capper which may already be in service in a dairy,

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a filling and capping machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view'taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front view of the hood feeding mechanism separate from the remainder of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view of the hood feeding mechanism separate from the remainder of the machine: v

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of the cap seating mechanism in the elevated position;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the cap seating mechanism with the parts in the position corresponding to Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

The invention is herein shown as embodied in a fllling'and capping machine of the sq-called rotary type in which the empty. bottles are fed into a filling machine, the bottles'being filled as they are carried around'through a circle, on this machine, the filledbottles being discharged at a discharge station adjacent the loading station. Caps are then applied to the bottles and the bottles are discharged to a suitablepolnt-for crating. Directing attention first to Figs. hand-'2, the machine has a main frame 2| which; carries a pedestal 22. I v table or conveyor 23 enclosednby-a peripheral guard rail 24 which serves the table. The table rotates in aclockwise directlon facing Fig. 2 and thus carries empt upon which is mounted arotary to retain thebottl'es ggi;

receiving station bottles exemplified by a bottle 25 (Fig. 2) against a star wheel designated generally by the numeral 26. The star wheel 26 is mounted orflavertical shaft 21 and overhangs the table 23 having on its periphery a plurality of notches 28 into which the bottles 25 are carried by the rotation of the table. The star wheel rotates intermittently in a clockwise direction and thus carries the empty bottles. 25 in a step fashion across a transfer plate 29 to a bottle-receiving station 3| (Fig. 2), in this particular instance the star wheel moving through 60 in each operation. This bottle- 3| is located over a moving platform 32 of a filler which carries a plurality of ,bottle stools 33 (Figure 1).carried on arms 34,

which arms are rotated by mechanism within a housing 35 on the frame 2| to move the stools from a position flush with the platform 32 and an elevated position as shown in Figure 1. The

rotation of the star wheel 26 and the platform 32 are so coordinated that a bottle is moved onto successive stools as these stools pass the bottlereceiving station 3|, movement of the bottles being stopped by a ring 36 having fingers 31 against which the bottle abuts in its movement. The

ring 36 is arranged for adjustment in its position so as to accommodate the machine for different sizes of bottles. The platform 32 moves continuously in a clockwise direction facing Fig. 2,bringing successive bottles around to a discharge Sta-- tion as indicated in dotted lines at 3 8 (Fig. 2).. During this rotation the stools 33 are raised, causing the mouth of the bottles to engage with filler valves 39 (Figure 1) which act to fill the bottle with milk from a tank 4|. As will be seen from Figure 1, the stools 33 are dropped to a position flush with the platform 32 asthey approach the discharge station 38. As the stools move into the bottle-receiving station 3| they pass under the star wheel 26 moving the bottle thereon into the discharge station 38 and into one of the recesses '28 of the star wheel, whereby upon rotation of the star wheel to bring an empty bottle into the bottle-receiving station 3| a filled bottle is re moved'from the bottle discharge station to a bottle-capping station as indicated at 42 (Fig. 2)

the bottle remaining stationary in the capping station 42 until the next movement of the star wheel, during which period the cap is seated on the bottle. The next succeeding movement of the star wheel brings the capped bottle back onto the table 23, whereby rotation of the table withdraws the bottle from the recess 28 in the star wheel, thus completing the filling and capping operation.

The capping mechanism is so positioned as to conduct the various operations incident to the capping subsequent to the time the bottle leaves the discharge station 38 and prior to the time it is delivered onto the table 23. This mechanism includes in this instance a pair of spaced upright rods 43 and 44 attached to the frame 2| through sleeves 45 and 46 (Figure l) and extending upward along the edge of a capping plate 41 which serves to support the bottles between the platform 32 and the table 23. The rods 43 and 44 act to support the hood feeding and applying mechanism and the cap-seating mechanism. A

guide bar41a extends along the front of the plate 41 to retain the bottles in the star wheel, and is adjustable by means of a handle 59 (Fig- 1) for different sizes of bottles. An arm 50a serves to adjust the guard rail 24.

, The hood feeding and applying mechanism includes a'frame comprising a horizontally disposed bar 48 slidably carried on the rods 43 and 44 provided with bosses 4'9 and 5| having openings for the reception of the rods. Integral with the bar 48 is an upright frame portion 52 (Figure 1) having a sleeve portion 53 (Fig. 5) enclosing the rod 43 to provide additional support for the frame. Attached to the upright 52 adacent the upper end thereof is a bracket comprising a foot portion 54 (Fig. 4) attached to the upright by means of cap 'screws 55 and including an arm 56 (Fig. 3). At

the outer end of the arm is a laterally disposed plate 51 carrying on its upper edge an inclined cylinder member 58 forming part of the hood selecting mechanism which is shown and described more fully in my copendlng Patent No. 2,349,523.

through slots 1| on opposite sides of the cylinder 58, the collar thus serving as a guide for the piston. The collar 68 is secured in place by a sleeve 12 attached to the. piston by a nut 14. The sleeve 12 has the same outer diameter as the piston and serves to guide the piston in the cylinder when the arms occupy a position toward the inner ends of the slots 1|.

. As more fully described in my aforesaid patent the collar 68 also serves to move the piston longitudinally and is pivotally secured to links 15 and 16 by means of screws 11 and 18, the links in turn being pivotally secured to crank arms 19 and 8| fixed to the shaft 6|, the crank arm 8| having a depending portion 82 to which is attached a roller 83 through which the shaft 6| and the crank arms are reciprocated to move the piston. The piston and associated parts are normally biased to the inoperative position-shown in Fig. 3 by a spring 84a acting between the crank 19 and the arm 56.

The crank arms are reciprocated by a lever arm 84,.one end of which engages the roller 83 and the other end of which is fixedly mounted on a shaft 85 having bearing support in cars 86 and 81 integral with the upright 52 Figs. 1 and 3). Freely mounted at one end on the shaft 85 is a wheel arm 88 rotatably carrying on its outer the wheel projecting into the path of the bottles on the stools 33 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Positioned above the arm 88 and piimed to the shaft as shown at 92 is a spring arm 93 having a pocket 94 within which is positioned a spring 95 (Fig. 2'). Th wheel arm 88 has a laterally disposed pin 96 projecting into the pocket 94 into engagement with the spring 95, the pocket having a slot 91 for movement of the arm 88, as will be seen from Fig. 2. The arm 93 also carries a depending pin 98 connected with the lower side of the pocket 95 and adapted to abut against the opposite edge of the arm 88 to limit the movement thereof under the action of th spring 95. A stop .arm 99 is pinned to the shaft 85 and car-' ries an adjusting screw |8| adapted to abut against the side 'of the upright 52 to limit the rotation of the shaft 85 in a counter-clockwise direction facing Fig. 2.

It will thus be seen that as the bottles pass the wheel 89, the wheel is urged outwardly in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 2, whereby the resultant motion of the wheel arm 88 transmits this motion rotating the lever 84, which in turn drivesthe piston in the cylinder 58 between its opposed position. This reciprocation of the piston bringsa suction cup I68 carried thereon into contact with the'lowermost hood in a hood ma azine to remove successive hoods and deposit the same in a-chute, as will presently be described. It will be seen that the power for operating the piston is provided solely by the movement 01 a bottle past the wheel 89 and into a position to receive the hood. The spring =85, pin 88 and associated parts allow for a certain amount of lost motion in the movement of the wheel 88 in orderto compensate for variations in the size of the bottle neck.

Directing attention now more particularly to the hood magazine best shown in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, the magazine includes a tubular container designated generally'by the numeral II8, having a slot II1 along its upper side for observation of the contents and shaped to fit a stack of hoods I I8. The magazine is located at an angle with respect to the horizontal to cause the stack of hoods to feed forward but the angle should be close to the minimum required for this purpose in order to maintain at a mi um the weight which the retaining fingers in st sustain. The magazine has a sleeve I I 8 receiving a rod I 2I supported from the arm' 58 by means of screws I22. The sleeve I I9 hasa set screw orother means by which its location on the rod I 2| can be varedge I42 adapted to bear against the skirt of the upper ends of the arms may be connected by a.

fingers I38 and I38 similar shape, each having an inturned end I 4| provided with an upturned foremost hood in spaced relation to the fingers I33 and I34. I 38 and I38 is to insure the feeding of a single hood from the stack at each operation of the piston.

- The hood chute best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 is, in this instance, formed of two castings, though obviously it can be fabricated in other ways, designated generally .b the numerals I41 and I48 secured together and to the bracket plate 56 by means of cap screws I48 and secured together by means of. screws II and spacers I52..

Openings such as that shown at I53 are provided for viewingthe contents of the chute. The receiving end of the chute is in part closd by end ribs I54 which act tospace the two portions of the chute and to guide the hood downward, these ribs having spaced upright arms I44 and I45 disposed on opposite sides of the suction cup. The

rubber band I46 or other means, the arms and bands being positioned to be engaged by the hood as the cup moves to its retracted position to positively release the hood from the cup. The chute ied for adjustment purposes. The'magazine is supported in an inclined position,. the longitudinal center line thereof coinciding with the center line of the cylinder '58, and being spaced therefrom a distance such that the lowermost '1, 1940, entitled Bottle cap and method for making th same, issued October 31, 1944, under Patent No. 2,361,507, each of which hoods has a depressed mouth-spanning portion I24 provided with an annular shoulder, a rim I28 having spaced transversely disposed ribs and a marginal skirt I28 provided with oircumferentially arranged pleats. each having a narrow side I2 8 and a wide side I3I in a formation somewhat analogous to an oblique echelon. When these hoods are stacked in nestingrelationship, each hood is turned a distance equal to the thickness of the metal so that the pleats progress helically around the stack as shown at I32. Position d on the outer surface of the magazine are inner hood fingers, (Figs. 3 and 4), two of which are positioned on each side of the tubular container as shown at I33 and I34, each of these fingers being attached to the side of the tube adjacent the lower end thereof and being formed of spring hood I23 of the stack projecting from the end portion I41 has a lower inwardl directed flange I55 against which the edge of the hood skirt rests and over which the cap rolls from the upper to the lower end thereof. The chute is curved from end to end as best shown in Fig. 3 in order to bring about a compact space relationship between the parts of the filler and capper and in order to permit the hood magazine to be conveniently positioned at the front side of the machine and yet deliver the hood to the relatively limited area in which it is applied to the bottle. Furthermore, the chute has a very decided slope, as will be seen from Fig. 4, the slope being sufiicient to cause the hoods to roll down the flange I55.

When the hoods are released from the suction cup. they drop down onto the flange I55 at the upper end of the chute and roll down to the hoodapplying end of the chute shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to be held in the path of the bottle as it moves from the bottle discharge position 38 to the cap seating station 42 (Fig. 2). Formed on the end of the chute is a hood-applying means which includes depending fingers I56 and I5! integral with the chute member I48, these fingers depending downwardly, the flange I55 terminating. short of the end of the chute as shown at I58 to permit eter of the hood, whereby when the hood rolls o'if the end of the flange I55, it is cradled between the projections I63 and I64 as shown in Figs. 2,

' 3 and 4. A chain or similar flexible element I65 is fastened at its upper edge against the chute meni- .ber I48 by means of clamps I68 and depends.

downwardly across the hood positioned on the projections I63 and I65.

In this manner successive hoods are suspended in the path of the head of a milk bottle moving between the discharge station 38 and the capping station 42. Thus, when the bottle to which the hoodis to be applied, herein designated by the numeral I 81,-moves in the direction indicated by the arrow (Fig. 2), the forward edge'oi the The function of the fingers I33, I34,

the bottle the skirt of the hood slides of! the projections I63 and I64 and the chain wipes the hood onto the mouth of the bottle.

Bottle centering and aligning means is carried on the horizontal bar-148 and includes a vertically disposed arm I68 (Fig. 5) attached to the end of the bar 48 having a horizontally disposed portion I68 arranged to support spaced bearing spindles HI and I12 (Fig. 2). Positioned on the inner;

ends' of thespindles HI and I12 are clamping arms I13 and I14 having depending portions I15 and I16 provided with hands I11 and I18 adapted to grip the neck of a bottle somewhat below the bead thereof, as best shown in Fig 5. The arms I13 and I14 are geared together by gear segments asshown at I18 to cause the arms to move in unison to grip the bottle and bring the same to a uniform location and alignment, aswill presently be more fully described. The arms are connected together by a spring I8I which tends to urge the hands I11 and I18 to the open position shown in Fig. 5. The arm I13 carries a depending 1 slide I82 adapted to be engaged by a portion of the cap seating mechanism presently to be described for the purpose-of rotating the arms in bottle gripping movement. The arm I68 has a slot I83 through which a cap screw I84 passes for the purp'ose of attaching the arm to the bar 48. the slot permitting of limited adjustment in 1 the position of the arm.

It will be seen that I have arranged to support the bottle wheel 88 and associated mechanism, the hood magazine, the hood selector mechanism,

the hood chute, the hood-applying mechanism, and the bottle centering mechanism on' the frame, comprising the bar 48, the upright 52 and the bearing sleeve 53. Therefore, by adjusting the position of this frame; each of these elements may be simultaneously adjusted to the position required for different standard sized bottles. In

the screw projecting upwardly and having threaded engagement in a threaded boss I85 attached, to the bar 48 whereby upon rotation of the crank I88, the bar 48 and the associated frame mechanism can be raised and lowered. A rod I86 is attached to the top of the yoke I85 andbears suitable indicia indicating the position of the bar 48 for the diflerentsizes of bottles, such. for example, as quarter pint, half pint, pint, quart and two-quart sizes. A cap screw I81 in the bottom of the yoke serves to permit the yoke to be urged upwardly against the car 46 to position the yoke for insertion of the set screws. It will be seen by this means that all of the above-enumerated mechanisms are simultaneously adjusted to uniform positions in response to rotation of the crank I88, and consequently the operator is assured of the proper coordination between these variouselements.

(lap seating mechanism Means for assembling the portions of the cap and completing the formation thereof directly on the head of the bottle conforming substantially to the construction shown in my copending Patent No. 2,349,524, issued May 23,1944, is

carried on a reciprocating crosshead 28I havin sleeves 282 and 283 orrthe rods 43 and 44. The

, crosshead 28I has a bearing member 284 Fig. 6

through which an operating rod 285 passes, the

rod having a collar 286 adapted to bear against the lower end of the bearing member 284, the collar being pinned to the operating rod. The lower end of the operating rod is threaded as shown at 281 and is received in the threaded bore -(not shown) of an end piece 288, a hand wheel 288 acting when tightened to prevent relative movement'between the rod and the end piece, The lower end of the end piece is pivotally connected to a crank arm 2 fixed to a shaft 2I2 carried in a gear casing 2 I3 which also carries a pulley 2I4 driven from a motor 2I5, the gearing within the casing being such as to drive the pulley 2I4 in a counter-clockwise direction through acapping stroke. The gearing in the casing 2I3 also serves to drive the platform 32 and the star wheel 26, these elements beingdriven in timed relation to effect reciprocation of the crosshead while the star wheel and bottle occupy a stationary position on the plate 41 as shown in Fig. 2. The arm and shaft are returned by a spring 2I6 acting between the frame and a lever 2I1 positioned on the shaft 2I2. It will be seen that through this mechanism the operating rod 285 is given a vertical reciprocating motion, the amplitude being such as required for the capping operation. A washer 2I8 seats against the upper side of the bearing member 284 and receives the end thrust of a spring 2I8, the washer being loose on the operating rod. This spring functions as a safety device in case a bottle is not properly placed under the capper, or something else limits the downward movement of the crosshead. The opposite end of the spring bears against a washer 22I on the operating rod which is pressed against the sleeve portion 222 of a laterally disposed arm 223 (Fig. 1) which has a bifurcated end 224 spanning the rod 44 for the purpose of guiding the upper end of the operating rod. Above the sleeve portion 222 is a sleeve 225 which acts as a spacer between the arm 223 and a crank 226 pinned to the upper end of the operating rod 285.

It willbe seen that upon reciprocation of the lever 2 (Figure 1) the operating rod 285 together with the crosshead 28I, the arm 223, spring 2I8, sleeve 225 and crank 226 reciprocate therewith. The operating rod 285 and collar 286 act to support the crosshead and attached mechanism at the elevation required for the capping operation. This elevation varies, of course, with the size of the bottle being capped. the function ,of the crank 226, the threaded end 281 and the hand wheel 288 being for the purpose of varying the effective length of the operating rod for the capping of difierent sized bottles. To facilitate this adjustment, the operating rod carries a plurality of markings as indicated at 221 cooperating with the end of a rod 228 to indicate the position of the cap seating mechanism.

An inverted U-shaped yoke, indicated generally by the numeral 228, is attached to the crossflange 235 seated against the inner side of the yoke. Passing through this bearing member is a stem 231 carrying a plunger 238 at its lower end and a collar 239 at its upper end. A sprin 2 is positioned on the stem 231, one end thereof bearing againstthe bearing member 284 and the opposite end bearing against washers 242, which in turn seat against a collar 234 pinned to the stem, the spring normally urging the stem downward, this movement being limited by contact of the collar 239 against the bearing member 234'. The lower end of the yoke 229 carries inwardly disposed ribs 245 seated in ways of a head support, indicated generally by the numeral 248 provided with a central guide through which the stem 231fpasses, the guide alsoserving to provide at its upper end an abutment 25l for contact with the collar 243 for a purpose presently to be described. The head support has a cylinder designated generally by the nu meral 252 shaped and positioned for the reception of a tube 253 carrying the conventional cap disks as indicated at 254, the tube 253 and cylinder 252 forming a cap disk magazine. The support 248 has a laterally disposed way 255 along which reciprocates a shuttle 225%; which passes under the stack of caps 254 (Fig. 6) to slice a disk from the bottom of the stack into a plunger chamber 251 within which the plunger 288 reciprocates. The shuttle 258 is reciprocaised by spaced links 258 on opposite sides of the "y 255, the links being pivotally connected to levels we, the levers being pivotally carried as shown at 25! on opposite sides of the cylinder 252. The levers 259 have'arcuate slots as shown at M2 within which are received pins 283 carried on links 265 pivotally supported on cars 255 integral with the collar 243.

Depending from the head support 248 and con-- centric with the plunger chamber 251 is an externally threaded flange 255 within which is a central opening .281 communicating with the plunger chamber and in effect forming a part thereof, the walls of said opening converging slightly, as best shown in Fig. 6, whereby to positively prevent the disk 258 positioned in the plunger chamber from dropping through the opening until pressed through by the action of the plunger 238. Surrounding the opening 251 is a diaphragm seat indicated generally by the numeral 259 against which a ring portion 21l of a rubber or similar flexible diaphragm 212 is seated. The ring portion 21! is held against the seat 259 by an upper clamping ring 213, the outerperiphery of which seats snugly against the inner wall or the flange 255. The diaphragm 212 has a cup-like intermediate wall 214 having a reverse bend as, shown at 215 terminating in an annular bead 215. The bead 218 is clamped against the upper clamping ring 213 by a lower clamping ring 211 which has an upwardly disposed conical flange 218 received within the portion of reverse bend, whereby to clamp the lower edge of the diaphragm and to firmly seat'it in position. The two clamping rings are compressed against the I diaphragm by means of a screw threaded cap- 219 having an inwardly disposed flange 28! engaging against the lower clamping ring. The lower clamping ring has a shoulder 28: projecting inwardly for partial support of the diaphragm when inflated and should come as close as conveniently possible to the outer surface of the bottle to lend maximum support to the diaphragm in this area.

It will be seen that the skirt contracting mechis so constructed that by unscrewing the iiicap2i9, the diaphragm and clamping rings can be quickly withdrawn from the flange for quick replacement of the diaphragm in case the same should be cut by broken bottles or for any other reason may need replacement. Likewise, it may be easily removed for cleaning operations without 2'29 and the stem 231 and attached plunger 238 move downward as a body until an arcuate terminal portion 283 of the diaphragm contacts the hood at the rim of the bottle. Upon continued downward movement of the crosshead 28!, the diaphragm exercises a slight pressure against the hood, the major portion or the weight of the head support 248 being counterbalanced by a spring 284 positioned on a rod 285 (Fig. 6) threaded into the head support as shown at 285 and extending through a slot in a cross piece 281 extending between the members 23L A washer 288 takes the force of the lower end of the spring, the opposite end bearing against a washer and nut 289, the spring thus exerting an upward pull on the head support substantially equivalent to the weight thereof, whereby a minimum amount of pressureis exerted between the hood and the arcuate portion 283. As the head support remains stationary, the plunger 238 moves downward in the plunger chamber 251,

moving the disk 258 downward until the disk is ate diaphragm portion 283. During this downward movement of the head support, and while the diaphragm is passing down over' the head of the bottle, the skirt portion I28 of the hood is gathered in slightly by contact with the diaphragm, i

The crosshead 2M and yoke 229 continue their downward movement and since the plunger 233 has reached the seated position with the cap against the cap seat 29! and the collar 243 has come into abutting relationship with the abutment 25l of the head support, the continued downward movement of the yoke causes the spring 2 to be compressed and the resultant pressure applied to the head support .248, thus applying pressure from thearcuate diaphragm portion 283 to the hood at the rimof the bottle.

As this additional pressure is applied, the dia phragm is contracted around the bead of the bottle by admitting air tothediaphragm to close the pleats in the skirt of the hood and iron the metal of the hood into close conformity. with the outer surface of the bead.

Contraction of the diaphragm is caused to 00- cur by admitting compressed air into the space between the upper clamping ring 213 and the inner surface of the diaphragm controlled-by air attached to the arm 223. The pin 323' is surrounded by a spring in sleeve 321 to permit overtravel on the part of the pin. when the crosshead moves down the pin .323 comes into engagement with roller 323 to admit air to the diaphragm and upon return movement of the crosshead and capping mechanism, the air is exhausted from behind the diaphragm by reverse movement of the valve in timed relation to other operations of the capping apparatus.

As the parts return to the position shown in Fig. 6, the counterbalancing mechanism, including the rod 235 and spring 284, tend to cause the head support 248 to follow upward and thus prevent bperation of the shuttle 253 from feeding the 'next succeeding disk into the plunger chamber 251. In order to insure this operation, a rod 333 is provided, the lower end of which bears against the head support 243 as shown in Fig. 6 when the crosshead occupies its upper position,

the rod being carried in a sleeve 334 fixedly attached to a bracket 335, which is in turn fixed to the upright 52. The rod is of reduced diameter within the sleeve 334 to provide a shoulder as shown at 336. A spring 331 within the sleeve acts against the shoulder and thence against the inturned upper end 338 of the sleeve to normally urge the rod downward. The downward movement of the rod is limited by a pin 333 passing through the upper end of the rod. Because of. the fixed position of the bracket 335, the rod 333'is brought into contact with the head support when the crosshead approaches its upper position, thereby urging the head support downward until the pins 263 reach the upper end of the slots 262 representing the limit of the inward feeding movement of the shuttle 253.

, In order to actuate the bottle aligning mechanism,1ncluding the arms I15 and I16, a plate 3 is attached to the forward side of the crosshead 23I by means of cap screws 342 (Figs. 1 and 5). This plate carries an ear 343 disposed rearwardly on the side of th sleeve 232, and carries a lever 344 pivoted intermediate its ends as shown at 345 and having an offset portion 346 carrying an adjusting pin 341 adapted to abut against the upper side of the ear to limit the rotation thereof in a clockwise direction under the action of a spring 348. The lower end of the lever carries a roller 343 so positioned that as the crosshead 2M starts its downward movement as heretofore described, the roller 343 engages the slide I82, thereby rotating the arms I15 and I13 in the manner heretofore described to grip the bottle I61 and bring the same into alignment with the diaphragm 212 and the plunger 233. Upon return movement of the slide, the spring |8I causes the arms to release the bottle for transfer out of the capping station.

v Operation In operation, the empty bottles are placed on the disk 23 from which they are carried into the star wheel 26 which serves to move them in a step by step fashion onto successive stools 33. As the stools pass around on the platform 32 the bot- This valve includes a body 285 attached to the head support 243 having an air inlet 233 (Figs.

tles-are raised and wedged against the filling valves 33. During the filling operation the bottles are carried around and into contact with the actuating wheel 83. At this point the bottle is 5 tightly held between the stool and the valve and by engagement with the wheel 83 causes the wheel to move outward carrying the lever 83 and associated parts, thus rotating the arm 84 to move the cup I33 into engagement with a hood. As the wheel returns to'the position shown in Fig. 2, the cup returns to its retracted position shown in Fig. 3, drawing the foremost hood of the stack through the fingers at the end of the magazine. As the suction cup carrying the hood reaches the position shown in Fig. 3 the pressure in the suction cup returns to normal and simultaneously the rim of the hood engages the fingers I44 and I45 or the band I43, allowing the hood to drop into the upper end of the chute from which it rolls down into the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. During this operation the bottle I61 has been carried forward on the stool to the bottle discharge position 38 and is then received in the star wheel 26 and carried through the hood-applying position in which the forward edge of the bottle engages beneath the skirt I23 of the hood and, by contact therewith, draws the cap forward and downward, the chain I65 providing a uniform and flexible pressure on the top of so the hood to cause it to move into seated position on the head of the bottle under the guidance of the under surface of the skirt and mouth-spanning portion. The bottle continues its movement uninterrupted until it reaches the cap seating station 42, which represents one of the dwell positions in the intermittent movement of the star wheel.

When the bottle carrying the hood comes to rest at the cap-seating station, the rod 235 is moved downward in response to rotation of the shaft 2l2, bringing the crosshead 23I down. As the crosshead moves downward the roller 343 engages the slide |82 rotating the arms I15 and I16 to grasp the neck of the bottle, center the same under the plunger 238 and into proper capping position with respect to the plunger and the diaphragm. With continued movement the skirt contracting means including the diaphragm 212 comes into contact with the hood at the rim of the bottle. As the crosshead continues to move 'downwardly,-the skirt contracting means slides upwardly on the rod 231 with the diaphragm lightly contacting the rim, the major portion of the weight being taken by the counterbalancing as spring 284. This upward movement of the skirt contracting means eventually causes the plunger to be projected into the mouth of the bottle, forcing the disk 268 out of the chamber 251 and causing the same to be seated on top of the so mouth-spanning portion I24 of the cap in the mouth of the bottle and against the cap seat. At this point the shoulder 25I contacts the collar 243, and continued downward movement of the crosshead causes .compression of the spring 24I in an overtravel movement. During this overtravel movement the rod 326' engages the arm of' the air valve, admitting air to the space behind the diaphragm,v causing the same to move inwardly to compress the skirt portion of the hood '70 around the head of the bottle, the skirt folding along the pre-formed folded lines therein.

Upon reaching the end of this overtravel movement, the crosshead 2! immediately returns to its upper position, during which movement the (6 spring 2" expands, allowing relative movement between the crosshead and the plunger 238 and skirt contracting means, as a result of which movement the air control valve is moved up in response to withdrawal of the pin 326 from the valve arm, thus exhausting the air from behind the diaphragm and permitting it to return to the position shown in Fig. 6. As the cross-head continues its upward movement, the plunger is withdrawn from the mouth of the bottle, and thereafter the skirt contracting means is pulled upward by action of thepin 263, engaging the end of the slot 262 in the disk feeding mechanism to lift the skirt contracting means away from the bottle and to the elevated position. During this lifting operation the shuttle 256 is moved to feed a disk into the position shown in Fig, 6 by the weight of the skirt contracting mechanism and also by action of the rod 333 and spring 331, thus completing the cap seating operation. Shortly thereafter the star wheel 26 rotates through another intermittent movement, bringing a bottle from the bottle discharge sta-' tion to .the cap seating station, as heretofore described.

While I have thus described and illustrated a specific embodiment of the invention, this has been by way of illustration and not limitation,

;the last mentioned means, means for supplying hoods in succession to said hood applying means, and means actuatedby the bottles while gripped between said stools and the first-mentioned means and while moving in said fixed path of travel for actuating said hood supplying means.

4. The combination in a filler and capp'er of a franve, a rotary conveyer thereon having a plurality of bottle supporting stools adjacent its periphery, a filler tank on said frame disposed above said conveyer, means on said tank for engaging the top of bottles supported on said stools to grip the bottles between said means and said stools and cause the same to move through a fixed path of travel, ca seating means, means for supporting said cap seating means on said frame beside said conveyer and tank in closely spaced relationship thereto, means for sliding bottles from said stools to a point beneath said cap seating means, and means for feeding a hood to the head of said bottles during their movement from the stools to below the cap seating means comprising and I do not wish to be limited except as re-' quired by the scope of the appended claims, in which I claim: v

1. The combination in a capper of a frame having vertically disposed supporting means, a hood feeding frame vertically adjustable thereon, cap seating means, means for carrying and driving said cap seating means supported on said supporting means vertically adjustable thereon and reciprocable thereon, a hood magazine, hood applying means, and bottle gripping means carried on said hood feeding frame, means for adjusting the vertical position of said carrying means to adjust said cap seating means for different sizes of bottles, and means for adjusting the vertical position of said hood feeding frame to simultaneously adjust said magazine, said hood applying means and said gripping means for differentsizes of bottles.

2. The combination in a capper of means reciprocable to seat a hood cap on the head of a dairy bottle, means for adjusting said cap seating means for bottles of different sizes, a frame having a hood magazine, hood applying means and bottle gripping means, means for adjusting said frame for bottles of different size, and means acting between said cap seating means and said bottle gripping means for actuating the latter in response to reciprocation of the cap seating means to grip the bottle at the neck and center the same.

3. The combination in a filler and capper of a filler tank, a plurality of bottle supporting stools disposed beneath the tank adjacent its periphery, means on the tank for engaging the top of bottles disposed on said stools to grip the bottles between the stools andsaid means and cause the same to move through a fixed path of travel, means for moving the bottles from said fixed path to a capping location adjacent thereto, means for loosely applying a hood to the head of the bottles in response to and during movement of a hood magazine on said supporting means remote from said fixed path of travel of said bottles, a .hood chute having one end disposed in the path of travel of the bottles moving oil said stools and the other end thereof disposed adjacent said hood magazine, said chute being narrow in its horizontal dimension and shaped for a hood to roll edgewise thereon from the hood magazine, and means on said supporting means disposed in e the fixed path of travel of said bottles for supplying hoods in succession to said chute in response to the passage of said bottles.

5. The combination in a capper of a frame hav- 7 ing a vertically disposed supporting means. a hood feeding frame vertically adjustable thereon. cap. seating means, means for carrying, and driving said cap seating means supported on said supporting means vertically adjustable thereon and reciprocable thereon, a hood magazine and hood applying means carried on said hood feeding frame, means for adjusting the vertical position of said carrying means to adjust. said cap seating means for different sizes of bottles, and means for adjusting the vertical position of said hood feeding frame to simultaneously adjust said magazine and said hood applying means for diiferent sizes of bottles.

6. The combination in a filler and capper of a supporting frame, a movable platform carried thereon for supporting bottles while being filled, a conveyer adjacent thereto, and a transfer plate substantially filling the space between said platform and said conveyer, a star wheel for sliding successive bottles from said platform to said plate and thence to said conveyer with an intermittent movement, means supported on said frame for applying a partially formed hood to the head of said bottles during the course of their movement from said platform to said plate, said means including means movabl to withdraw said hood from a hood magazine, and means positioned in r the path of a bottle moving on said platform during the filling thereof and driven by said bottle for driving said movable means, and means driven inti'med relation to. said star wheel for seating said hood on said bottles while supported in said star wheel and on said plate. I

RUDQLPH SONNENBERJG. 

